Phonograph record changer stabilizer arm



y 7, 1968 w. J. FAULKNER 3,381,964

PHONOGRAPH RECORD CHANGER STABILIZER ARM Original Filed Feb. 24, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR F/g. 2 WILLARD J. FAULKNER BY LAD M y 1968 w. J. FAULKNER 3,381,964

PHONOGRAPH RECORD CHANGER STABILIZER ARM Original Filed Feb. 24, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

-lgd INVENTOR.

WILLARD J. FAU LKNER HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,381,964 PHONOGRAPH RECORD CHANGER STABILIZER ARM Willard J. Faulkner, Glen Ellen, Ill., assignor to Karl W. Jensen, La Grange, Ill.

Original application Feb. 24, 1964, Ser. No. 346,602, new Patent No. 3,304,092, dated Feb. 14, 1967. Divided and this application Dec. 20, 1966, Ser. No. 627,569

4 Claims. (Cl. 274-1) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A stabilizer arm for stabilizing the records disposed on a spindle having a shoulder for supporting the records adjacent their center holes over a horizontal turntable is mounted on a shaft which is slidably disposed in a hollow post disposed to one side of the turntable. The hollow post is provided with vertically extending grooves into which a pin on the shaft extends for guiding the shaft in its upward and downward movement. At the bottom ends of the grooves they form a cam surface which engages with pin and causes the shaft to be rotated and the stabilizer arm to be swung outward to one side of the turntable after the last record is released from the spindle.

This application is a division of application Ser. No. 346,602, filed Feb. 24, 1964, now Patent No. 3,304,092.

This invention relates to phonograph record changers and more particularly to one upon which records of different sizes may be manipulated.

More particularly it relates to a changer Where the records are stacked on a center post having a shoulder upon which the records rest, and which are moved off of the center post one at a time to fall on the turntable where they are played. A stabilizer or hold down arm engages the top record of the stack and keeps them from falling off prematurely.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a record changer of this invention, with the mechanism in an off position;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the record changer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view with the mechanism in the on position at the start of the playing of a record;

FIG. 4 is a view of the stabilizer support arm post with interior cam grooves shown in dotted lines;

FIG. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an alternate form of the stabilizer swing-out mechanism of FIG. 4;

Referring now to the drawings, throughout which like parts have been designated by like reference characters, and more particularly as can best be seen from FIGS. 1 to 3 inclusive, exteriorly the changer is depicted as ineluding a base having an upper surface 10 and downwardly extending side Walls 10a. The upper side is provided with a downwardly extending circular well 10b in which a turntable 11 is disposed. A spindle extends 12 upwardly from the center of the turntable, and has the usual offset record stack holding part 12b and a record supporting shoulder 12a.

On the top of the base and to one side of the turntable, there is provided a removable cover plate housing 18, the adjacent edges 18a-18b of which define the upper right corner and the edges 18c and 18d the two extremities and which extremities are joined together by a curved edge 18:; which follows the contour of the turntable 11. The base is held in position by screws 18 which extend through the plate and are threaded into bosses, not shown on the side walls 1011. A tone arm 14 and adjacent thereto a record stabilizer and hold down arm 15 are swingably mounted on the plate 18. The tone arm is provided with the usual pickup head 14a having a needle 14b for tracking the record groove.

At the extreme edge of the base plate 18 is the motor speed control lever 16, which extends upward through a housing 17 extending vertically upward from the base of the plate.

The stabilizer arm is movable from the position shown in FIG. 1 to that of FIG. 3, where it rests on the top of the stack of records supported on the shoulder 12b of the spindle to stabilize the records and prevent them from accidentally or prematurely falling oft.

As previously stated, the stabilizer arm 15 may be swung from the position shown in FIG. 1, at the side of the turntable to a position over the turntable adjacent the spindle where it rests on the uppermost record of a stack of records disposed on the offset portion and shoulder, to prevent the records from accidentally falling oil of the shoulder. The arm is capable of being moved vertically and is gradually lowered as the records are discharged. The arm is manually moved from the lowered position at one side of the turntable as shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG. 3 over the turntable and near the spindle, by raising the arm bodily to the limit of its upward travel, after which it is swung over into the position of FIG. 2 and lowered onto the stack of records. In this position it is held in place until the last record is released, at which time the arm falls by gravity to a lower position and at the same time automatically moves back to the outer position. In its lowered outer position it cooperates with means below the base part 18 to automatically cause the record changer to be shut off after the last record is played.

As best shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 inclusive, the stabilizer arm 15 is secured by a screw 40 to a shaft 41 reciprocably and rotatably mounted in a pedestal 42.

The shaft 41 is provided with a guide pin 43 disposed spaced from the top and extending through the shaft and outwardly on both sides. The guide pin performs several functions. It cooperates with guide surfaces within the pedestal to guide the arm in its upward and downward movement. It also cooperates to cause the arm to be swung outward when the last record is released. It also engages the last record shut-off mechanism secured on the underside of the base portion 18 to activate or set up that mechanism when the arm is swung out and down to cause the record changer to be shut off on the subsequent change cycle after the last record has been played.

As best shown in FIG. 4, the interior bore of the pedestal is provided with a guideway which comprises a vertically extending channel 44a in which the pin 43 is guided when the arm is moved upward from the lowered position shown in FIG. 1. At the top 44b the channel extends laterally and slants downwardly. When the arm is moved slightly to the left and released, it swings toward the center post automatically. Then the channel extends down at 440 which enables the arm to be lowered onto a record, and guides it in its downward movement. The channel 44c is somewhat shorter than the channel 44a and the lower end is connected by a cam guideway 44d with the bottom of channel 44a.

The lower end of the channel 440 is so dimensioned that when the stabilizer arm rests on the last record of the stack the pin 43 is approximately at the intersection of the channels 440 and 44d. When the last record is discharged the pin 43 rides in the cam channel and the arm is automatically swung to its outer position.

An alternate form of automatic swing-out for the stabilizer arm is illustrated in FIG. 6. In this instance the channels 44x, 44y and 442 within the pedestal correspond to channels 44a, 44b and 440 of FIG. 4. A molding problem occurs in the manufacture of a device such as illustrated in FIG. 4 in that because of the lower slanting channel 44d the mold cannot be parted and the lever swing-out channel 44d must be provided by some kind of an insert. To avoid this, the channel 44d is omitted and the shaft 41 is provided with a pin 43x above the pedestal at a fixed distance from the lower pin 43 which engages with a boss 42x which has a spiral cam surface 42y leading to a drop-oil 42z. When the last record is released and the shaft starts to move down as the lower pin 43 leaves the channel 441, the upper pin rides down on the cam surface 42y swinging the stabilizer arm the same as the slant surface 44d did in the other embodiment. When it reaches the end of the surface, it finally drops down beside the drop-off 44z; otherwise the operation is the same.

Having thus described the invention in an embodiment thereof, I am aware that numerous and extensive departures may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as claimed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a record player comprising a horizontal turntable for rotating a record to be played and a spindle having an offset portion near its upper end to provide a shoulder to support a stack of records thereon, the improvement which comprises a record stabilizer arm, support means pivotally, vertically and slidably supporting said arm to one side of the turntable so that said arm is arranged to be swung over the stack of records and rest thereon and arranged to be swung outwardly to said one side of the turntable, said support means including a post having a vertically extending bore, shaft means for supporting the arm disposed in the bore and extending below the level of the turntable, said shaft being vertically movable between upward and downward limit positions, a follower means extending laterally from said shaft means and guide means engaging with said follower means for guiding said arm and swinging said arm over said stack of records upon the extreme of its upward movement and swinging outwardly to one side of the turntable upon the extreme of its downward movement.

2. A device as described in claim 1, wherein said guide means includes vertically extending grooves in said post intersecting said bore, the lower extremities of said grooves forming a cam surface for engagement with said follower means when the last record is discharged from said spindle to rotate said shaft and move said stabilizer outwardly to one side of the turntable.

3. A device as described in claim 2, wherein said vertically extending grooves comprise circumferentially spaced grooves having said cam surface at their lower ends, said two grooves being separated by an island that forms the adjacent surfaces of the grooves.

4. A device as described in claim 1, wherein said guide means comprises a cam surface on the upper end of said post and said follower means comprises an abutment for engagement with said cam surface when said shaft moves to a predetermined level in a downward direction.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1958 Zahner 274-10 7/1965 Conrad 274-10 

